Shaker Heights reviews $32 million Lee Road complete‑street plan; construction targeted for July 2026

Shaker Heights City Council members met in a May 12, 2025, work session to review the Lee Road Action Plan and engineering for a $32 million Lee Road Complete Street project that city staff say will reconfigure the corridor to one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane, add a two‑way cycle track on the southern portion and other multimodal and streetscape improvements.

City planners said design is advancing (30% plans have been submitted to the Ohio Department of Transportation), targeted milestones include 60% drawings in late June, bid documents next spring, a bid opening in April 2026 and a planned construction start in July 2026 with roughly two years of work. Staff told council about multiple funding sources but said gaps remain: about $24 million in grant funding is currently identified, a local match of roughly $3.1 million is budgeted and additional unbudgeted costs related to construction matches and utility work were cited at about $4.5 million. Road‑work items still not budgeted were described as roughly $2.4 million (about $1.2 million for construction match and $1.2 million for construction management and inspection).

The plan divides the corridor: the southern section (two blocks into Cleveland to Van Aken) would include a raised, two‑way cycle track and enhanced streetscaping; the northern section (north of Van Aken to the city boundary) would use buffered bike lanes. City staff described a border‑to‑border “road diet” with three travel lanes total (one lane each direction plus center turn lane), continuous sidewalks and…